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ToggleAny gamer or video editor would tell you that overclocking your CPU can help significantly increase the pace at which your PC runs all sorts of tasks. Overclocking simply means using a higher frequency for a CPU than was manufactured; the benefit of overclocking a CPU is that it offers additional performance, but there are serious pitfalls if done incorrectly, such as phosphorylation or outright damage to the hardware. Below is a how to overclock guide along with some additional tips to help you overclock safely.
Key Terms to Know
Before jumping in, here are some basic terms that’ll come up in the overclocking process:
CPU clock is made up of two parts; the base clock that is the basic operational speed and the multiplier which is used to decide how many times this base clock is to be used. These are fine tuned to afford you a chance to alter the performance of your CPU.
The overclock can be higher with increased CPU’s voltage, if it is an option, but you must remember that heat will also be higher. Too much voltage can often be potentially dangerous; that is why mere increments or decrements are made.
Preparing for Overclocking
Getting everything ready beforehand can save you headaches later:
Ensure that your Motherboard’s BIOS is updated, you’ll find that newer bios, contain better support and stability when it comes to overclocking.
Sometimes with overclocking you introduce heat, so a stable cooling system is needed. No matter if you’re running a high-quality air cooler or immersive liquid cooling, make sure your cooler can manage the added load.
This is why it is advisable to copy your BIOS settings in a bid to avoid causing damage. In case of any problem, you have the ability to bring the settings back to normal without stressing yourself.
Here is how you can overclock your computer Step by Step
Okay, now let’s move down to the process of overclocking your central processing unit.
Shut down your computer and then, at the next startup, quickly press the key that opens the BIOS (it is usually Delete, F2 or F12). This takes you to the control panel of your hardware.
This means that the options of how you overclock will depend with your motherboard. Search for headings such as “Overclocking” or “CPU Configuration,” or “Frequency/Voltage Control.”
Begin with changing either the base clock or the multiplier: a slight adjustment. The recommended step is that the increment should not be more than 0.1 and it is better to increase the clock rate until instability occurs.
If your computer system becomes unstable then you could add a little more voltage to your CPU but be very careful to add only a little at a time. Higher voltage enables the speed control of CPU at higher rates and also produces heat in the same process.
Learn more details and apply the stress-testing software like Prime95, or OCCT to determine whether your overclocking is stable. Just to be sure, run the tests for some several hours and one will be certain that the settings will suffice for daily testing.
In case you’re interested in improving PC’s performance for gaming, video-related activities or any other process that requires more power, using a CPU overclocking tool will definitely help. You may need to overclock your CPU to run at a higher frequency than the default, thus boosting your system’s performance somewhat at the risk of overloading oroging your CPU. Here is a simple to follow guide on how to overclock, including useful advice on how to overclock with the minimum of hassle and risk.
Key Terms to Know
Before jumping in, here are some basic terms that’ll come up in the overclocking process:
The base clock is the CPU frequency at its basic level and the multiplier refers to how much the base clock is to be added to give the desired final speed. These when adjusted allow you to vary CPU’s speed.
In other words, increasing the CPU’s voltage can make the overclocking value greater but remember that more heat results from the higher voltage. This means that control is important as too much voltage poses a risk and so small changes are made.
Preparing for Overclocking
Getting everything ready beforehand can save you headaches later:
Your motherboard’s BIOS needs to be updated from time to time especially if it supports better overclocking and has better stability.
Overclocking may bring heat into the equation, therefore, a sound cooling set up is crucial. That said, all cooling methods from high-end air cooler to liquid cooling should be compatible with your CPU cooler.
As is always the case, it makes a lot of sense to back up your BIOS settings prior to tweaking them. In the event that anything goes wrong, you can easily revert back to the default settings with little or no problem.
The proper method of overclocking When overclocking, it is recommended that you follow a series of steps.
Now that you know its benefits it’s time to explore the process of overclocking your CPU.
Shut down the computer and turn it on again to enter BIOS which key is commonly Delete, F2 or F12?. This take you to the control panel for your hardware.
You have to know that these overclocking options may differ depending on your motherboard. Search for words as Overclocking, CPU Configuration or Frequency/Voltage Control.
Begin by changing the base clock or the multiplier by small amount’s of frequency. The experienced users usually add no more than 0.1 GHz at a time in order to achieve stability quickly.
If you have instability issues with your system, it is recommended that you up the CPU voltage only by a small amount, though again in small measures. More voltage is used to stabilise the CPU at higher speeds but such comes with the disadvantage of generating more heat.
If all the above-described methods are insufficient for determining whether your overclock is stable, use stress-testing software such as Prime95 or OCCT. Several hours of testing ensure the stability of the points – this is a good sign for work throughout the day.
Monitoring and Fine-Tuning
Nonetheless, monitoring a few things after establishing steady settings is important as discussed below.
Monitoring the overall temperature of your CPU is important so make sure you install a monitoring tool such as HWMonitor or Core Temp. Do not operate at a temperature which is higher than the maximum allowed safe temperature which it is about 80°C for most Central Processing Units to prevent hardware damage.
High voltage has implication on the lifespan of your CPU. Use it frequently to prevent damage especially under conditions of stress testing.
To quantify the overclocking to measure the new increase in performance you can resort to the use of benchmarking tools for instance Cinebench, or 3DMark.
If you find that your computer is starting to crash, exhibit the blue screen of death, or otherwise behave erratically, throttle the clock speed or voltage down a hair. In its essence, it’s about achieving the highest possible performance at the lowest risk.
Overclocking is very fulfilling, but the matter that has been mentioned above will assist in protecting the hardware which we use.
Firstly, you need to back up the files you have to prevent data loss whereby you find the system unsteady or has developed a foul bug to a crash.
Basically, tweaking is not a science as many people have pointed out; instead, it is mostly trial and error. Do not hurry adjustments; it is wise to go slow when making changes to try to avert massive issues.
Overclocking your processor too much can lead to a variety of issues, including system crashes, blue screens, and other odd behaviors – if you are experiencing any of these issues it may be time to scale back on the overclock somewhat lest you fry your processor entirely.
You can overclock your CPU, and it will result in a significant uptick in things like gaming, content creation, as well as multitasking. When done appropriately with concern to the various parameters and when done appropriately the overclocking of the system proves to offer numerous advantages. You must always remain patient and careful while dealing with your system to maintain its steadiness as you extract the best processing power out of your CPU!